Art History & Nails: St. Mark's The Spot from the OPI Venice Collection

It is almost the weekend, are you ready?   This Thursday (night) brings the return of my Art History & Nails series! You may have seen the collection at your local Ulta, but in case you haven't, OPI has released a gorgeous new collection for Fall inspired by Venice.  I have picked up a few shades and plan on getting a few more, but the one I want to show you today is one of the limited edition shades. I am not sure exactly what that means in OPI world...but I did notice my Ulta display only had 3 each of the limited shades and 8 each of the other shades. They aren't more expensive or anything but if you want this shade, I suggest you hurry!   *(Update as of editing this post right before posting my Ulta sold out of this shade. RUN)*

This shade is very difficult to capture, so many of my pictures will have flash. This is OPI's St. Mark's The Spot ($9.50). It is a beautiful royal blue shimmer and it definitely needs two coats to get the perfect depth and richness. Dry time is average and I can get 6 days with minimum tip wear.  

  Now, having been to the Piazza San Marco (just the fancy Italian way of saying St. Mark's Square), I can say that this blue not only reminds me of the brilliant sky above the square but also of the water that floods in when the tide is high, and the beautiful lapis found in the church and the Doge's palace, which border the square.  

  This picture is from my Venice trip. Isn't the sky pretty? I spent a lot of time in this piazza and have many fond memories and stories, including eating some of the best gelato of my life while looking at this view.   

  This is a picture of the polish without flash. The shimmer isn't as apparent but it is still gorgeous! While not a complete Art History lesson with this particular post, Venice is a beautiful place full of art and culture and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to visit as well as glad that OPI has made a collection that is giving me such warm and fuzzy feelings while still being so on trend for Fall. What do you think of this color? Will you be picking up any of the shades from this collection?

First Date at the Golden Gate: Fall's Perfect Red

Even thought the collection launched in late-ish summer, O.P.I's San Francisco polish range sported a ton of cool fall-worthy polishes, with my favorite being First Date at the Golden Gate ($9) a deep cherry red. 

 If you are a nail girl, then you probably own a ton of red polishes, but if you don't...I highly suggest this one.  

 This cherry cream is to die for, applies smoothly, and lasted a whopping 7 days. Crazy. Read more and see more pictures over at Impressionist Nails! 

First Date at the Golden Gate: Fall's Perfect Red

Even thought the collection launched in late-ish summer, O.P.I's San Francisco polish range sported a ton of cool fall-worthy polishes, with my favorite being First Date at the Golden Gate ($9) a deep cherry red.  

  If you are a nail girl, then you probably own a ton of red polishes, but if you don't...I highly suggest this one.  

  This cherry cream is to die for, applies smoothly, and lasted a whopping 7 days. Crazy. Read more and see more pictures over at Impressionist Nails!  

O.P.I Pussy Galore from the Bond Girls Liquid Sand Collection

I love James Bond, and of course, along with 007 comes his Bond Girls. I think O.P.I seriously cashed in with this idea, considering how well the Bond collection did in the Fall (I hauled so many of those!) But this time around, only one...Pussy Galore, the light pink babe of the collection.

 

I am still on the fence about Liquid Sand. I loved the Mariah Carey polishes, but the OZ colors fell a little flat for me. I think in this kind of texture, the color is everything. Pussy Galore ($8.50) is really unique and the baby pink with the silver and pink sand/glitter is just stunning!

 

This is two easy coats with the lovely pro-wide brush. Lasts about a week solid (liquid sands are SO durable) and dries super fast. I have no qualms with the formula. And I love this color!

 

Overall, although I only found one Bond Girl that stole my heart, I think this collection is fascinating. If you want to see more swatches of this beauty, I started a nails only blog (so nail posts here will slowly start to disappear). Visit Impressionist Nails! I appreciate your support!

 

 

O.P.I Pussy Galore from the Bond Girls Liquid Sand Collection

I love James Bond, and of course, along with 007 comes his Bond Girls. I think O.P.I seriously cashed in with this idea, considering how well the Bond collection did in the Fall (I hauled so many of those!) But this time around, only one...Pussy Galore, the light pink babe of the collection.

 

I am still on the fence about Liquid Sand. I loved the Mariah Carey polishes, but the OZ colors fell a little flat for me. I think in this kind of texture, the color is everything. Pussy Galore ($8.50) is really unique and the baby pink with the silver and pink sand/glitter is just stunning!

 

This is two easy coats with the lovely pro-wide brush. Lasts about a week solid (liquid sands are SO durable) and dries super fast. I have no qualms with the formula. And I love this color!

 

Overall, although I only found one Bond Girl that stole my heart, I think this collection is fascinating. If you want to see more swatches of this beauty, I started a nails only blog (so nail posts here will slowly start to disappear). Visit Impressionist Nails! I appreciate your support!

 

 

NOTD: Minnie Mouse!

Hey Pandas!

 

I am a big Disney person, and the other day my mom and I were taking one of her friends to Disneyland to get her pass. Yay! Of course, I had to do my nails for the occasion!

 

Now, this is one of my first attempts at full-on nail art, so be gentle! Haha. Of course, this look was inspired by Minnie Mouse and her classic black, red, and white colors.

 

 

On my middle finger I painted a half circle and used a dotting tool for the ears. I then painted a red bow on top. The rest of my nails are either white, black, or red with contrasting dots. My thumb has a red bow on it. Simple but cute!

 

 

Needless to say we had a lot of fun that day, even though the park was crowded. I didn't see Minnie, but I did see her hubby!

 

 

These are the colors I used for this mani: O.P.I Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, ORLY Liquid Vinyl, and Sinful Colors Snow Me White. I also used a dotting tool and freehanded the rest.

 

Love or Hate? Do you love Disneyland as much as I do? Have you ever done Disney inspired nail art?

 

 

 

 

 

NOTD: Minnie Mouse!

Hey Pandas!

 

I am a big Disney person, and the other day my mom and I were taking one of her friends to Disneyland to get her pass. Yay! Of course, I had to do my nails for the occasion!

 

Now, this is one of my first attempts at full-on nail art, so be gentle! Haha. Of course, this look was inspired by Minnie Mouse and her classic black, red, and white colors.

 

 

On my middle finger I painted a half circle and used a dotting tool for the ears. I then painted a red bow on top. The rest of my nails are either white, black, or red with contrasting dots. My thumb has a red bow on it. Simple but cute!

 

 

Needless to say we had a lot of fun that day, even though the park was crowded. I didn't see Minnie, but I did see her hubby!

 

 

These are the colors I used for this mani: O.P.I Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, ORLY Liquid Vinyl, and Sinful Colors Snow Me White. I also used a dotting tool and freehanded the rest.

 

Love or Hate? Do you love Disneyland as much as I do? Have you ever done Disney inspired nail art?

 

 

 

 

 

Polish, Pages, and Pretties: Zoya PixieDust in Godiva

Happy Polish, Pages, and Pretties Day Pandas! Whew, that was a lot of 'P' words!

 

I am so excited to show off the new PixieDust formula!

 

Here is two coats of the new Zoya PixieDust formula in Godiva holding an awesome book-- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.

 

I have been wanting to get my hands on one of these in a while and the best way I can describe it is like champagne bubbles! This is such a pretty beige/neutral with the PixieDust finish which basically looks like you are wearing sparkling very fine sand on your nails.

 

 

Do not put a top coat on this if you want to see the effect! However, it does look pretty with one as well. It may be counter-intuitive to not finish with a top coat, but trust me the results are worth it.

 

 

I like the PixieDust formula a little bit more than O.P.I's liquid sand because it has more sparkly and feels less rough on the fingers. This retails for $8 at Ulta and comes in a few more gorgeous shades.

 

 

Now, about this book! I wanted to take pictures of this particular polish with this book because these nails are a edgy take on the classic neutral, just as this book came along and fought against the 50's housewife stigma. I think everyone should read it...but if you aren't interested, at least you have physically seen it so now you know what they are talking about in "Ten Things I Hate About You" haha :)

 

Hope you liked this weeks polish. Have you read the book? Let me know!

 

 

Polish, Pages, and Pretties: Zoya PixieDust in Godiva

Happy Polish, Pages, and Pretties Day Pandas! Whew, that was a lot of 'P' words!

 

I am so excited to show off the new PixieDust formula!

 

Here is two coats of the new Zoya PixieDust formula in Godiva holding an awesome book-- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.

 

I have been wanting to get my hands on one of these in a while and the best way I can describe it is like champagne bubbles! This is such a pretty beige/neutral with the PixieDust finish which basically looks like you are wearing sparkling very fine sand on your nails.

 

 

Do not put a top coat on this if you want to see the effect! However, it does look pretty with one as well. It may be counter-intuitive to not finish with a top coat, but trust me the results are worth it.

 

 

I like the PixieDust formula a little bit more than O.P.I's liquid sand because it has more sparkly and feels less rough on the fingers. This retails for $8 at Ulta and comes in a few more gorgeous shades.

 

 

Now, about this book! I wanted to take pictures of this particular polish with this book because these nails are a edgy take on the classic neutral, just as this book came along and fought against the 50's housewife stigma. I think everyone should read it...but if you aren't interested, at least you have physically seen it so now you know what they are talking about in "Ten Things I Hate About You" haha :)

 

Hope you liked this weeks polish. Have you read the book? Let me know!

 

 

OPI Avojuice Lotions

This winter is shaping up to be the coldest California has had in a while, and I have no doubt it is much colder everywhere else. So moisturizing is key. I have been looking for good hand and cuticle care forever. Have I found it with OPI Avojuice lotions?

 

OPI Avojuice is OPI's answer to skin and hand care. This Skin Flavor pack comes with six delicious mini lotions in delectable scents for only $8. One for every available surface! And a few left over for your bag too. Can be found at ULTA and where OPI products are sold.

The flavors include:

Mango Juice: Smells like fresh picked mango!

Jasmine Jucie: Not a typical jasmine smell, herby but sweet.

Coconut Melon: Smells like a pina colada. So yummy.

Cran & Berry: Strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries all around.

Peppermint Shimmer: Minty fresh! This one has a light shimmer to it!

If you have rough hands or ragged cuticles, these pint sized wonders will make moisturizing much more convenient and easy. The scents are not overpowering, and there is one to fit every mood. The lotion also sinks in rapidly and feel silky, not greasy. The biggest area of improvement in the cuticles.

 

 

If you are looking for hand care with a brand and quality to back it up, look no further than Avojuice by OPI. I am really impressed!

 

Price: 10/10

Performance: 10/10

Color/Wearability: 10/10

Packaging: 10/10

Overall Quality: 10/10

Total: 50/50 = A+ = Pandamonium!

 

What flavor would you go for first? Are you as smitten with Avojuice as I am?

 

 

 

OPI Avojuice Lotions

This winter is shaping up to be the coldest California has had in a while, and I have no doubt it is much colder everywhere else. So moisturizing is key. I have been looking for good hand and cuticle care forever. Have I found it with OPI Avojuice lotions?

 

OPI Avojuice is OPI's answer to skin and hand care. This Skin Flavor pack comes with six delicious mini lotions in delectable scents for only $8. One for every available surface! And a few left over for your bag too. Can be found at ULTA and where OPI products are sold.

The flavors include:

Mango Juice: Smells like fresh picked mango!

Jasmine Jucie: Not a typical jasmine smell, herby but sweet.

Coconut Melon: Smells like a pina colada. So yummy.

Cran & Berry: Strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries all around.

Peppermint Shimmer: Minty fresh! This one has a light shimmer to it!

If you have rough hands or ragged cuticles, these pint sized wonders will make moisturizing much more convenient and easy. The scents are not overpowering, and there is one to fit every mood. The lotion also sinks in rapidly and feel silky, not greasy. The biggest area of improvement in the cuticles.

 

 

If you are looking for hand care with a brand and quality to back it up, look no further than Avojuice by OPI. I am really impressed!

 

Price: 10/10

Performance: 10/10

Color/Wearability: 10/10

Packaging: 10/10

Overall Quality: 10/10

Total: 50/50 = A+ = Pandamonium!

 

What flavor would you go for first? Are you as smitten with Avojuice as I am?